The Fortunes of Jaded Women: A Novel

"The Fortunes of Jaded Women is a multigenerational saga about Vietnamese women cursed to give birth only to female offspring who in turn cannot find true love. These jade-adorned, loungewear matriarchs regularly consult gnomic herbalists and fortunetellers to revise their daughters’ errant fates. Other life forms in Southern California’s Little Saigon include smooth-talking Kevin Nguyens, bikini-clad baristas and nail salon workers who are employed illegally and well-versed in post-Marxist arguments. Despite its satiric content, the novel poignantly addresses the after-effects of war and diaspora, showing how the characters’ bulldozing quest for stability manifests a precarious hold on their adopted land."